Gonzalez previously pleaded guilty Sept.
11 to hacking into the systems of "major U.S.
retailers including TJX Companies, BJ's Wholesale
Club, OfficeMax, Boston Market, Barnes & Noble and Sports Authority"
and the Dave & Buster's restaurant chain, the Department of Justice said in
a news release Dec. 29. "The case is one of the largest data breaches ever investigated and prosecuted in the United States." More than 40 million credit and debit card numbers were
stolen as a result of the hacking activity.

"Based on the terms of the [Dec. 29] plea agreement, Gonzalez will not
seek a prison term under 17 years and the government will not seek a prison
term of more than 25 years," the DOJ said. In his previous convictions,
Gonzalez faces a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 25 years in prison. The
sentences will run concurrently.

"The conviction of Mr. Gonzalez, and the unraveling of one of the most
complex and large-scale identity theft cases in history, should serve as a
reminder to hacker organizations that the Department of Justice will vigorously
investigate and prosecute cyber-crimes, regardless of their sophistication and
global reach," U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Carmen
Milagros Ortiz said in a statement.
According to the DOJ, "Gonzalez leased or otherwise controlled several
servers ... and gave access to these servers to other hackers, knowing that
they would use them to store malicious software ... and launch attacks against
corporate victims. Malware used against several of the corporate victims was
also found on a server controlled by Gonzalez. Gonzalez tested malware by
running multiple antivirus programs in an attempt to ascertain if the programs
detected the malware. According to information in the plea agreement, it was
foreseeable to Gonzalez that his co-conspirators would use malware to steal
tens of millions of credit and debit card numbers, affecting more than 250
financial institutions."

"The Department of Justice will not allow computer hackers to rob
consumers of their privacy and erode the public's confidence in the security of
the marketplace," Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer said. "Criminals
like Albert Gonzalez who operate in the shadows will be caught, exposed and
held to account. Indeed, with timely reporting of data breaches and high-tech
investigations, even the most sophisticated hacking rings can be uncovered and
dismantled, as our prosecutors and agents demonstrated in this case."